Casino gambling in Kentucky? Just say no
- Oct 15, 2007 - 4
One of the first editorials I wrote for the Western Recorder was titled “Expanded gambling is a bad bet.” Unfortunately, more than eight years later it’s still necessary to continue to battle gambling proponents who falsely claim that casino gambling will be good for the commonwealth.
To put it mildly, hogwash!
Kentucky Baptists repeatedly have gone on record over the years opposing expanded gambling. As far back as 1993 (14 years ago), convention messengers adopted an anti-casino resolution affirming “the biblical principles which define gambling as inherently evil and grossly immoral.”
For those citizens and political leaders who fail to use morality to influence their views, there also are significant economic and social implications. Numerous studies from other states clearly indicate that social costs quickly outstrip the economic gains touted by gambling advocates.
The sharp increase in the number of compulsive gamblers in states where casinos operate also has been well documented. Recent estimates indicate more than 10 million adults and teens in the U.S. exhibit some form of problem gambling behavior.
According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, two out of three pathological gamblers commit illegal acts to pay gambling debts and one in five attempts suicide. When lower income gamblers squander money they can’t afford to lose in a desperate attempt to strike it rich, their families often are deprived of adequate food, clothing and other basic needs. How much negative social fallout is needed before politicians agree that devastating human costs far outweigh any perceived economic gain?
In response to the latest effort to push Kentuckians to tie their economic future to casino revenue, a group of concerned businessmen and ministers is hosting a series of 13 regional “Say No to Expanded Gambling” meetings throughout the state from Ashland to Murray. Former Kentucky Baptist President Charles Barnes, a retired banker from Louisville, is among the events’ organizers.
During a recent session hosted by Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington, Pastor Bill Henard noted that “I’ve had two men go to prison because they embezzled money in order to pay their gambling debts. … Expanded gambling is not what our state needs. It is something that we need to stop.”
Jess Correll, the head of First Southern Bancorp, told meeting participants, “When we heard people talking about bringing nine casinos into Kentucky, we started doing the research and seeing that the facts were absolutely against this.
“Unfunded liabilities on the social services side will be phenomenally large, but not just in dollars, it will be in people’s lives,” he added. “I think it’s bad policy for the state to actually say, ‘We have an industry that is illegal today, but if you’ll cut us in on a piece of the profit, we’ll make it legal tomorrow.’”
Warning that “gambling is welfare for the rich on the backs of the poor,” Correll declared, “Don’t be fooled. The profits from this seedy activity will make millionaires richer and the poor poorer.”
Kent Ostrander, executive director of the Family Foundation of Kentucky, pointed out that Kentucky citizens would have to lose more than $1.4 billion a year for state coffers to gain proponents’ projections of $500 million annually.
Citing the examples of other states, Ostrander said if casinos are legalized in Kentucky, families will be targeted, businesses will lose, government will be corrupted and “the vulnerable will be destroyed.”
“The cost in human terms is endless,” he insisted. “The good news is if we want to stop it, we can. The body of Christ can share this information outside these walls and be salt and light and preserve this state.”
Kentucky Baptist Convention Executive Director Bill Mackey echoed Ostrander’s challenge, emphasizing that “we’re in a struggle for the very soul of the commonwealth.”
“We’re grateful that the faith community can come together on an issue like this,” he added, “and speak to our people with a united voice.”
In the meantime, it’s clear that casino advocates intend to keep pushing their agenda to the detriment of Kentucky and its families.
This article is reprinted with permission from the September 25, 2007, issue of Western Recorder, the newspaper of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. The author of this article, Trennis Henderson, serves as their editor.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Family, Addictions, Gambling, Citizenship, Legislation
4 comments (post your own) feed
1 On Nov 8th, 2007, at 4:42pm, Olga Ordonez wrote:
I totally agree this article. Is very well supported it keep me interested the entire time!
2 On Feb 7th, 2008, at 6:22pm, Jesse Mangus wrote:
I am trying to find statistics on the subject and while you say many thing in the article you fail to give accurate numbers or where the numbers come from. I need more information if I am to effectively argue against gambling in my college paper. Don’t make statements as facts without accurate documentation to support it. It just makes other casino opposers look bad.
3 On Mar 20th, 2008, at 7:50am, Tom Berry wrote:
Hogwash. That’s what this article is. Double Hogwash
4 On Mar 28th, 2008, at 12:19pm, Lora Youngblood wrote:
No, I don’t agree. I beleive that casinos would help our economy, in more ways that just one. It would provide more jobs, create more money, and if the economy is doin well then people are happy.